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SONICBlue ProGearA trailblazing information appliance (January 2002 issue)
Fast forward to the present. Things always take a bit longer than expected, but
the ProGear is alive and well, and destined to make an impact. Parent S3 has
changed its name to SONICBlue and is no longer into chips and graphics boards.
The company now markets the Rio MP3 player, the "personal TV" ReplayTV, the
Go-Video "dual" consumer electronics, high end home theater components, digital
television, and the ProGear. That's an interesting mix of consumer and vertical
market technologies and one cannot help but speculate how the ProGear might fit
into a consumer market home entertainment and information system. SONICBlue, in
fact, did recently issue a press release announcing that it had teamed up with
avant-garde home automation specialist Xanboo, Inc. (www.xanboo.com) to provide
custom electronic systems designers and installers with a broadband-based
wireless digital entertainment system that would also incorporate security,
control, and automation functions. Leising, now SONICBlue's VP of marketing and
business development said, "The couch just got more interesting. For the first
time consumers will be able to wirelessly surf the internet and stream content at
broadband speeds and also control home entertainment systems, monitor a sleeping
baby through video, or remotely open the garage door from the comfort of a
favorite couch or anywhere else in the home."
This scenario certainly resonates with me as I have become totally addicted to
the substantial benefits of the wireless LAN connected to a DSL line in my home.
I still use my big desktop PC, but a Casio IT-700 Pocket PC with an internal
802.11b has pretty much replaced my morning newspaper. The prospect of not only
being able to peruse email and get the latest from the web while sipping a coup
of Starbucks coffee on the sofa downstairs, but also monitor and manage the
general well-being of my home, and the entertainment of its occupants, is a
tantalizing thought indeed. I am firmly convinced that the emergence of wireless
home and office networks are the key to the success of internet appliances and
other mobile web and email access devices. This means that while I agree with
SONICblue's current concentration on vertical markets, I can also see a huge
opportunity in the consumer market.
Regular readers of Pen Computing Magazine may recall a case study in our
September 2001 issue where we described the use of ProGears as electronic menus
at the famous Aureole restaurant in Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Hotel. A customized application provided the restaurant a quick and efficient way
to update its gigantic and ever-changing selection of fine wines, thus reducing
the need for frequent, expensive updating a 50+ page paper winelist. The 15
Linux-based ProGears used in the pilot project were using a customized XML
application running on Netscape. One of the limitations of the project was that
Internet ExplorerÑand thus some of its unique plug-insÑwere not available for
Linux. The developers stated that if Windows had been available on the ProGear
they would have used it instead of Mobile Linux.
Other existing or potential customers apparently agreed and SONICblue complied by
making Windows available on the Pro-Gear, thus opening the device to the
tremendous wealth of applications, development tools, and utilities available for
Windows. The result is the ProGear SE Information Appliance, "SE" as in Windows
98 SE.
So what exactly is the ProGear? That depends on the definition. SONICblue calls
it an Information Appliance. Our technology editor, Geoff Walker, called it a
webpad that's not far from being a Tablet PC. A few years ago it would have
simply been called a pen slate or a pen tablet. Using current definitions, the
ProGear is closer to a Tablet PC than to a webpad. That's because it is a
full-function computer with a relatively speedy processor and a 5.6GB hard disk.
The ProGear can do everything a standard desktop or notebook computer can do. It
is, however, not a Tablet PC by Microsoft's definition as the Tablet PC spec,
among others, calls for an active electromagnetic digitizer and Windows XP.
Walker estimated that the incremental OEM material cost to upgrade to full Tablet
PC status would be under $200, which would make the ProGear quite cost effective
in that class.
So let's assume you are interested in a device like the ProGear. What is it and
what do you get?
Essentially a full-fledged computer placed into a stylish magnesium enclosure.
With a footprint of 9 x 11 inches, the ProGear is large enough to accommodate a
bright 10.4-inch TFT with a resolution of 1024x768. 128MB of RAM is enough for
Windows 98 (even though 16MB is used up by Transmeta's Code Morphing Software),
and the 5.6GB hard disk likewise is plenty big enough. The 400MHz TM3200
Transmeta processorÑdesigned for low power consumptionÑis not a speed demon and
it heated up the casing of our ProGear considerably more than we expected. (A
Tablet PC prototype we recently played with stayed absolutely cool even after
three hours of continuous operation. SONICblue states that the ProGear should,
too.) A switch to Transmeta's new TM5800 would add performance and likely cut
down on the heat. Despite the miserly nature of the TM3200, it is advisable to go
for the optional 6-cell 3,200mAH power pack. The larger pack adds a bulge and
some weight to the ProGear's slender profile, but it also provides up to six
hours of battery life instead of just two or three. A standard AAA alkaline
battery provides backup for when you swap out the main battery. The unit must be
off for thisÑno hot swapping.
Operating the ProGear is, of course, different from operating a notebook. Unlike
Tablet PC prototypes, the ProGear is designed for using the display in landscape
orientation. The digitizer is very precise and never lost its calibration during
the review. The screen can be manipulated either with a stylus or with a finger.
A large icon at the lower right of the display lets you toggle between left and
right mouseclicks. We initially thought the prominent control located below the
screen was a secondary cursor control device. It isn't. Instead it operates like
the wheel on a scroll mouse. Personally, I would have preferred to see it double
up as a cursor control device. The scroll button sits in the middle of a
milky-white plastic oval with embedded LEDs that show charging status.
Unlike most pen tablets and webpads, the ProGear has a screen cover that's
leather outside (or at least it smells like leather) and foam on the inside. The
cover is mounted at the top of the ProGear. You flip it back when you use the
unit. When you're done, you place the cover over the screen and push the plastic
tab at the bottom of the cover into a groove at the bottom of the display. This
keeps the cover in place and also puts the ProGear into Standby mode. A very
clever solution. To wake the device, you push the power switch or operate the
scroll button.
Onboard connectivity is limited to a USB port, a power jack, a microphone
jackÑall sitting under a rubber plug that's attached to the deviceÑplus an IR
port, an audio-out jack, and the on/off switch. The back of the ProGear sports
charging/cradle contacts.
The ProGear comes with a clever on-screen keyboard that can always be called up
via icon in the bottom icon bar. The keyboard can be moved around and has three
settings: tiny, large, and "ergonomically arranged" for those who are used to
those odd two-part keyboards. The two larger versions are actually big enough to
type on with your fingers.
The ProGear also comes with a screen rotation utility that really works. It
never hung up once and it never lost the digitizer calibration.
Operation, at least under Windows, is adequate but far from instantaneous. This,
and the surprising amount of heat that our test system generated, may make you
wish for a different design or processor arrangement.
As for the choice between Mobile Linux 2.4 or Windows 98 SE, that largely depends
on the application a customer has in mind. The Linux version comes with a very
complete complement of software and may be perfect for certain vertical market
applications that require customized software and the kind of heavy duty file and
system management that Linux provides. However, even though there is plenty of
Linux software out there, some of it is hard to install if you are not a
UNIX/LINUX expert, and necessities such as Internet Explorer are not available at
all.
The Windows 98 version, on the other hand, will clearly be more familiar and less
intimidating to the average user, and it can run the latest versions of all
commercial software. It will likely also be the platform of choice for consumer
applications. I don't know which version Xanboo is using for its digital
entertainment systems. I do know that I'd want mine to run standard Windows so
that I can download and install.
As far as pen tablets (or Information Appliances) go, sonicblue did a good job
with the ProGear. The rest is a marketing and product placement issue. I do
believe the market, and not just the vertical market, is ready to accept wireless
webpads but it will require selling and education as much as great technology. -
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[Homepage] All contents ©1995-2001 Pen Computing Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. |
When I moderated a demo session at the Mobile Insights conference in March 2000
one of the demos really caught my attention. It was Janet Leising showing off a
prototype of the ProGear information appliance. Janet explained that the ProGear
was an economical Linux-based tablet computer with excellent battery life due to
a power-miserly Transmeta processor. She described the ProGear as a device for
vertical markets such as medical, education, travel, and entertainment where it
could be customized to meet specific customer needs. She also explained that
frontpath, inc. was a wholly owned subsidiary of digital media company S3. Press
materials at the time predicted an average configuration to run about US$1,500
and that quantity shipments would be available in the first quarter of 2001.